Vent breather for refrigerator



March 1967 A. R. COSTANTIN! ETAL 3,

VENT BREATHER FOR REFRIGERATOR 7 Filed Oct. 15, 1964 INVf/VTORS.

ANTHONY R COSTA/VT/IV/ ANTHONY 0/ ANGELUS ATTORNEY United States Patentporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 403,617 3 Claims.(Cl. 9851) This invention relates generally to refrigerator and freezerconstnrctions hereinafter referred to generally by the termrefrigerator, and more particularly relates to a refrigerator breatheror pressure equalizing device.

As is well known, air contracts volumetrically when cooled and expandswhen heated. Since refrigerator structures are designed to cool air totemperatures usually below 40 F., and since the ambient air temperatureis usually on the order of 70 F. or higher it will be appreciated thatnormal usage of refrigerators permits cooled air to escape from therefrigerated compartment and permits warm air to enter thereinto due tothe openings and closings of the refrigerator doors. Each time therefrigerator is opened and a certain volume of cooled air escapes and isreplaced by an equal volume of warm room air. The warm room air admittedto the interior of the refrigerator compartment is subsequently cooledand therefore is caused to undergo :a volume contraction resulting in adecrease of pressure inside the refrigerator compartment. The drop inpressure of the refrigerator interior as compared with the atmosphericambient pressure external to the refrigerator results in a net forcebeing exerted on the refrigerator door which forces the door more firmlyinto its closed position and makes it somewhat dlfilOll-lllt to openwhen desired. Accordingly, it is a primary object of our invention toprovide a novel pressure relief device for refrigerators which actsautomatically to equalize the pressure inside of a refrigeratedcompartment with that existing outside so that subsequent opening of thedoor to the refrigerator is not rendered difiicult due to a pressuredifferential.

Another object of our invention is to provide a novel pressureequalizing device for refrigerators as aforesaid which is simple inconstruction, inexpensive in manufacture, trouble free in use,unobtrusive in appearance and simple to install.

A further object of our invention is to provide a novel pressureequalizing device for refrigerators utilizing a plurality ofinterengaging resilient fingers automatically moveable to provide anopening under conditions of a pressure differential thereacross in onesense, while remaining interengaged in a closed position when subjectedto a pressure differential thereacross in the opposite sense.

The foregoing and other objects of our invention will appear more fullyhereinafter from a reading of the following specification in conjunctionwith an examination of the appended drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having incorporatedtherein the pressure equalizing device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section taken through theupper region of the refrigerating apparatus shown in FIGURE 1, as wouldbe seen when viewed along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged top view of the pressure equalizing breatherdevice constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view through thepressure equalizing breather device as would be seen when viewed alongthe line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view of the breather device of FIG- URE 4 illustrating inan exaggerated manner depression of the resilient fingers of thebreather device due to a pressure differential thereacross resultingfrom pressure decrease in the interior of the refrigerated cabinet; and

FIGURE 6 illustrates the pressure equalizing breather devicealternatively mounted in .a vertical wall of a refrigerator instead ofon the top wall thereof.

In the several figures, likeelements are denoted by like referencecharacters.

Briefly, the objects of the invention are accomplished by providing aone way venting device which interconnects the inside of therefrigerator with the ambient atmosphere only when the pressure withinthe refrigerator drops below that of the outside atmosphere so as toexert a closing force on the refrigerator door if unrelieved. The ventthus permits air to be drawn into the refrigerated compartment but doesnot permit air to be expelled therethrough out of the compartment. Whilethe vent may be located at any convenient region, in general the optimumplacement is toward the upper end of the refrigerated compartment tominimize the possibility V of heat transfer thereinto.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURES l and 2it will be observed that the device of the present invention is shownincorporated, for purposes of illustration, in a refrigerator 10 of thetype having an openable and closable front door 11, a rear wall 12, andside walls 13 which together with a top liner define a refrigeratedstorage compartment 15. The top liner 14 is provided proximate its rearend with a plurality of inlet openings 16, and is similarly providedproximate its front end with a plunality of outlet openings 17. Apenthouse 18 extends upward above the refrigerated compartment top liner14 and normally contains the cooling coil portion of the refrigeratorapparatus and blower means for circulating air over the cooling coilsdownward into the refrigerated compartments through the inlet opening 16and thenback outward through the outlet openings 17, the cooling coil 19being shown in phantom in FIGURE 1, while being omitted from the showingof FIGURE 2 for purposes of clarity. The top wall 20 of the penthouse 18is illustrated in FIGURE 2 as being formed by vertically spaced parallelpanels 21 and 22 to define therebetween an intervening space which isfilled with foamed plastic or other suitable insulation material 23. Asis best seen in the showing of FIGURE 2, the panels 21 and 22 arerespectively apertured as at 24 and 25 and the intermediate insulation23 is cored out as at 26 and 27 to provide a vertically extending ductthrough the top wall 20 of the penthouse, which duct, may be of anyconvenient cross-sectional shape adequate to receive and accommodatetherein the venting device of the present invention designated generallyas Sti.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the outer side of the venting device 30communicates with the ambient atmosphere external of the refrigerator,while the opposite or inner of the venting device communicates with theinterior of the refrigerated compartment through the penthouse.Alternatively, as shown in the detail of FIGURE 6, the venting device 30could be disposed in the rear wall 12 of the refrigerator forcommunication directly with the compartment 15 via the cored-out ducts26a and 27b. Similarly, the venting device could be installed in anyother of the compartment side walls 13, or even in the compartment door11 itself.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the structural configuration of theventing device together with its mode of operation. As these figuresshow, the main body 31 of the venting device is in the form of agrommet-like member,

preferably integrally molded or otherwise formed of rubher or otherresilient material, having spaced marginal lips 32 and 33 which definetherebetween a peripherally extending groove or recess 34 adapted toreceive therein the marginal edges of the top aperture 24 formed in thepanel 21" of the refrigerator, and an openable and closable seal in theform of a suitably slitted membrane or v web extending transverselyacross the central opening of the grommet 31.

This central membrane or web, which is preferably formed as an integralpart of the main body portion 31 parallel relation to the vanes 35 ofthe slitted membrane.

The screen 38 prevents the vanes 35 from opening outfward underconditions Where the gas pressure on the screen side of the vanes isless than that on the opposite or inner of the vanes. However, asclearly seen in FIG- URE 5, the central or pointed region of each of theflexi-ble vanes 35 is susceptible to inward movement under circumstanceswhere the gas pressure on the screen side of the vanes is greater thanthat present on the opposite or'inner side of the vanes. This lattercondition occurs as hereinbefore described when cold air escapes fromthe refrigerated compartment and is replaced with warm air which issubsequently cooled and reduced in volume to thereby reduce the pressurein the refrigerated compartment to a value below that of the atmospheresurrounding the refrigerator. In practice, of course, the vanes 35 willnotdepress to the full extent shown in FIGURE 5, but will open downwardjust sufficiently to allow enough outside air to enter the refrigeratorto effect the desired substantial pressure equalization.

Rigidification of the venting device is provided by the hollowcylindrical portion 39 which extends downward from the grommet 31 as acoaxial integral extension thereof. While the extension 39 issufliciently rigid to resist rim deformation of the grommet portion 31and thereby insure that the vanes are enabled to move into their closedposition as shown in FIGURE 4, it is nevertheless resilient enough toenable the device to be pro- .jecteddownward into the top aperture 24through the case top 21 to permit the aperture defining edges of thecase top to seat into theexternal annular recess 34 of the grommetportion 31-. Of course, any other means may provided for 'operativelysecuring the venting device of the present invention in registry with apassage suitably extending-through a refrigerator wall for affectingcommunication between the interior of the refrigerator compartment andthe atmosphere external of the refrigerator.

Having'now described our invention with respect to a particularlyillustrated embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated thatmodifications and variations of our invention may now occur from time totime to those persons normally skilled in the art without departing fromthe essential scope or spirit of the invention, and accordingly it isintended to claim the same broadly as well as specifically as indicatedby the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is: 1. A vented refrigerator structurecomprising in combination:

(a) a refrigerator having a cooled storage compartment with an accessdoor thereto by means of which articles to be cooled may be placed intoand removed a from the compartment, (b) a duct extending transverselythrough one Wall of said refrigerator with the inner end of said duct inatmospheric communication with said storage compartment and Withtheouter end of said duct being openable to the atmosphere external tosaid refrigerator through a venting device, and

(c) a pressure responsive venting device across said duct carried bysaid one wall of said refrigerator, said venting device includingpressure responsive means effective to automatically open said duct toatmosphere only whenever the internal pressure in said storagecompartment drops below the atmospheric pressure external to saidrefrigerator and to otherwise close said duct against air flow betweensaid storage compartment and said atmosphere.

2. A vented refrigerator structure comprising in com- 15 bination,

(a) a refrigerator having a cooled storage compartment with an accessdoor thereto by means of which articles to be cooled may "be placed intoand removed from the compartment,

(b) a duct extending transversely through one wall of said refrigeratorwith the inner end of said duct in atmospheric communication with saidstorage compartment and with the outer end of said duct being openableto the atmosphere external to said refrigerator through a ventingdevice, and

(c) a pressure responsive venting device mounted in said one wall ofsaid refrigerator to extend across said duct, said venting device havinga central passage normally closed by a plurality of contiguous flexiblevanes disposed in a plane orthogonal to said passage, said vanes beingrespectively supported to provide portions which are movable out of saidplane to thereby automatically open said duct to atmosphere when saidvanes are subjected to a higher pressure on the side thereof facing theatmosphere external to saidrefrigerator and to otherwise close saidduct.

3. A vented refrigerator structure comprising in combination,

(a) a refrigerator having a cooled storage compartment with an accessdoor thereto by means of which articles to 'be cooled may be placed intoand removed from the compartment,

(b) a duct extending transversely through one wall of said refrigeratorwith the inner end of said duct in atmospheric communication with saidstorage compartment and with the outer end of said duct being openableto the atmosphere external to said refrigerator through a ventingdevice, and

(c) a pressure responsive venting device disposed across said ducthaving'a peripherally extending supporting rim carried by said one wallof said refrigerator, a plurality of contiguous Wedge-shaped flexibleresilient vanes, said vanes being thin relative to their radial lengthand disposed with their pointed ends extending radially inward towardone another and converging at the longitudinal axis of said duct, thebroad outer ends of said wedge-shaped vanes being secured to saidsupporting rim, and the side edges of each wedge-shaped vanecontinuously engaging the side edges of the contiguous adjacentwedge-shaped vanes to thereby close the duct cross-section, at leastsaid pointed ends of said vanes being axially shiftable away from oneanother to open said duct crosssection whenever the atmospheric pressurein said storage compartment drops below the atmospheric pressureexternal to said refrigerator and a substantially rigid gas-perviousmember carried by said supporting rim and disposed across said ductimmediately adjacent to all of said vanes on the external atmosphereside of the latter, said rigid member being effective to prevent saidvanes from moving axially away from one another to open said duct whenthe atmospheric pressure in said storage compartment 5 6 rises above theatmospheric pressure external to said 2,810,493 10/ 1957 Eichhorn et a198-51 X refrigerator. 2,897,835 8/1959 Philippe 137525.1 X

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 5528,982 8/1956 Canada- 1,612,004 12/ 1926 Dworetz 98-51 ROBERT A.OLEARY, Primary Examiner. 1,619,066 3/1927 Fotch 98-51 2,629,393 2 /1953Langdon 137-5251 MEYER E Exammer- M, A. ANTONAKAS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A VENTED REFRIGERATOR STRUCTURE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) AREFRIGERATOR HAVING A COOLED STORAGE COMPARTMENT WITH AN ACCESS DOORTHERETO BY MEANS OF WHICH ARTICLES TO BE COOLED MAY BE PLACED INTO ANDREMOVED FROM THE COMPARTMENT, (B) A DUCT EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGHONE WALL OF SAID REFRIGERATOR WITH THE INNER END OF SAID DUCT INATMOSPHERIC COMMUNICATION WITH SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENT AND WITH THEOUTER END OF SAID DUCT BEING OPENABLE TO THE ATMOSPHERE EXTERNAL TO SAIDREFRIGERATOR THROUGH A VENTING DEVICE, AND (C) A PRESSURE RESPONSIVEVENTING DEVICE ACROSS SAID DUCT CARRIED BY SAID ONE WALL OF SAIDREFRIGERATOR, SAID VENTING DEVICE INCLUDING PRESSURE RESPONSIVE MEANSEFFECTIVE TO AUTOMATICALLY OPEN SAID DUCT TO ATMOSPHERE ONLY WHENEVERTHE INTERNAL PRESSURE IN SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENT DROPS BELOW THEATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE EXTERNAL TO SAID REFRIGERATOR AND TO OTHERWISECLOSE SAID DUCT AGAINST AIR FLOW BETWEEN SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENT ANDSAID ATMOSPHERE.